Field of the Invention
The present disclosure is related to the medical field and, more particularly, to a syringe used in the medical field where the syringe includes a drip guard configured to absorb and/or collect fluids that may drip or leak from the syringe.
Description of Related Art
A number of injector-actuated syringes and powered injectors for use in medical procedures have been developed. Typically, such injectors have drive members, such as pistons, that connect to a syringe plunger. The syringe generally includes a barrel with the syringe plunger being slidably disposed within the barrel. The drive members are configured for driving the plungers in a proximal and/or distal direction relative to a longitudinal axis of the barrel to aspirate a fluid into the syringe barrel and/or deliver the fluid from the syringe barrel.
During the priming of the syringe or the delivery of the fluid from the syringe barrel, the medical fluid may drip or leak from the tip of the syringe. Such dripping or leaking results in uncleanliness and hazardous waste issues and, in certain cases, the fluid leakage down the syringe and into the injector casing may cause the injector to seize or otherwise malfunction during operation creating the need for more frequent servicing or replacement of the injector components. Conventional methods of absorbing or collecting the leaked medical fluid include the use of a drip flange positioned on an outer surface of the barrel of the syringe. These drip flanges may prevent leakage of fluids into the injector but can also significantly increase the width of the syringe, which results in increased packaging size, packaging costs, and potential rupturing of the packaging during shipment. Conventional drip flanges are also limited by the direction of draw and the material choice for the injection molding of the syringes. Further, certain current drip flanges are formed as flat ledges that extend perpendicularly from the barrel of the syringe. One disadvantage with these types of drip flanges is the inability of the drip flange to trap or hold liquid that may leak from the syringe. The leaked fluid often is directed away from the barrel of the syringe to another part of the powered injector.
Although substantial advances have been made in the design of syringes, it remains desirable to develop improved designs and methods to absorb and/or collect fluid that may drip or leak from an injector, syringe, or syringe assembly.